17 February 2009

Staff Training Day

Yesterday was our annual staff training day. It's held on a holiday each year, because it's the only time the entire staff can gather. The best part about staff training day (especially now that our lunch isn't catered by the good caterers due to budget cuts) is that our HR risk manager brings these 10 minute videos on topics like harassment, workplace violence (that was a good one), and customer service (we watch that one but we don't absorb). This year we watched five HR videos and my favorite was entitled Dealing with Difficult Citizens, starring city employees from several locations in California. It should not surprise you that the city employees of California are not particularly inspiring actors, even with Arnold as their governor. Still, the city requires us to watch them and I paid special attention so that we could all learn to be better city employees. I took notes. Here they are:

No Horse Play

Be Sober (seriously, it was printed in big letters across the screen while an office worker in California feigned drunkenness; there was also a section about being moral in which a mailman hit on someone while the voice-over instructed us about locations where it's illegal to have intimate relations)

Bright Colors, Not Good

Don't Be Moody

No Running in City Facilities

After watching the HR videos, we also watched this video. It's pretty amusing (try to ignore the cheesiness at the end) and the acting's a step up from the HR video instruction.

I am embarrassed and joyful to report that while my husband and I watched your cheesy but delightful video, we actually both had tears (tiny and barely noticable) in our eyes, after which we validated each other and smooched in a very validating manner. Thanks!!